Subject Matters
by TakeHeart
Summary: [Oneshot] Conversations with Sai always take up a lot of Ino's efforts. [Ino x Sai] Not exactly a romantic relationship. Light.


A/N: Ino x Sai, written for xinexpressiblex for the naruto wishlist exchange.

* * *

Yamanaka Ino almost dropped the bouquet of flowers she had been handing over to a customer to when she saw Sai approaching the flower stand.

"Hi, Flower Girl," he greeted when he reached her.

Ino finished collecting the customer's payment and waited till she left before giving Sai a glare.

"What happened to 'Ms Lovely'?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I thought you didn't like that nickname. So I decided to give you another," he smiled.

"No one would like it if you didn't mean it!" She forced down the urge to strangle him.

When she had first heard from Sakura why Sai had called her by that during the barbecue, she had dismissed it simply as Sakura being jealous. Then later she had seen Sai addressing the 65-year-old shop owner as a 'beautiful miss', and after a few more similar incidents, she had confronted the culprit himself, and received her answer.

He had just wanted to avoid more punches; like those he had received when he had called Sakura what he thought of her. 'I thought this was a good way of making friends,' he had said, and then babbled some more on some findings in a book he had read. Ha! Friends? As if he was going--

Her thoughts were broken by a sharp tap to her shoulder.

"You were spacing out there," he smiled again. It looked so _fake_ now that she was aware of his true character and observed him more carefully. She might have just forgiven him if he could only show more emotions instead of pasting on that smile every time he spoke.

She flushed, embarrassed, then crossed her arms and retorted, "I was just thinking of a nickname for you. Seeing as how much you like giving them to others and all."

Ino was surprised when Sai's face lit up instantly.

"Ah! Are you trying to go one step further in our friendship?" he beamed at her.

"No!" she snapped. His mind must be full of cobwebs and holes. "What friendship?"

"Oh." Sai almost looked disappointed for a moment. _Almost. _She will not be falling for his tricks a second time.

"Well," he continued after some pondering, "but we _are_ wearing matching outfits. Anyone who sees us would surely think we're _together_."

It might have just been her imagination, but he seemed to be wearing a smirk. "Exactly what part of our outfits," she gestured wildly, "are similar?"

"The middle," he answered matter-of-factly, and smiled yet again.

Ino glared daggers at the black-haired ninja and savoured the thought of punching him. If she were Sakura, he would have been covered with bruises by now. Perhaps he only got along well with people who fought with him frequently.

"So," she decided she wasn't going to fool around with him any longer, "what are you doing here?" she asked, suddenly realising she still didn't know the reason he had sought her out.

"To buy flowers."

"Oh. Welcome." Ino said stupidly. It had never once crossed her mind that he could be a customer.

"And you are buying them for?" she prompted.

"Naruto," he replied, and continued when he saw Ino blanch, "He's stuck at the hospital with a bad case of food poisoning. I read from somewhere that flowers are obligatory when visiting someone?"

The blond Kunoichi blinked at how naïve that sentence had made him seem. He had sounded like a child talking about his best friend. "They act as rather nice get well gifts," she supplied.

"I see. Then..." he paused, looking around the shop and feeling a bit out-of-place at seeing the many strange flowers on display.

"Some sunflowers, chrysanthemums, and yellow roses then." She saw his baffled expression and almost smiled. "If it's for Naruto, I don't think he'd mind these bright colours." She walked around the store, picked up the respective flowers and arranged them in one hand, then wrapped them up before handing the bouquet over to Sai. Taking out a box from a cupboard, she placed it in his other unoccupied hand.

"There's a vase inside for you to put the stalks in."

Sai stared at Ino for a while before digging into his pouch and giving her the payment for the flowers and vase, "You sure know a lot."

"You do realise I _am _a florist working here."

"Ah. I guess you're right," the corners of his mouth lifted up in another smile, and this time, he was carrying the bouquet of yellow flowers in one hand and when the sunlight hit his face as he stepped out of the store, he looked almost... angelic. As much as she disliked it, Ino could not think of any other word to describe him.

"Thank you," he turned around and spoke for a final time before walking away.

Ino chewed the insides of the cheek when she felt the beginnings of a blush forming. Well, she mused, as she sat on a stool and waited for the next customer to arrive, Sai could be really nice when he wants to and tries really hard.

But she was still going to change her wardrobe.

* * *

A/N: C&C? 


End file.
